Onana, Maguire Shine As Man Utd Secure Vital UCL Victory
By Victor Kanayo
Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana and England international Harry Maguire turned heroes as Manchester United pulled out an important victory in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
The match between the Red Devils and Copenhagen ended 1-0 in favour of the former.
Maguire and Onana have been heavily scrutinised in recent times.
Maguire lost his captaincy in the summer and West Ham United had a bid for him accepted.
But the 30-year-old opted to remain at Old Trafford, having slipped to fifth-choice central defender – behind left-back Luke Shaw – no-one was sure why.
Some uncertain moments in the first half for the England defender did nothing to suggest a revival for Maguire.
Copenhagen started far better than the hosts and hit the post after just five minutes through Diogo Goncalves, while five minutes into the second half they came close again, only to be denied by a super Onana save.
The dramatic finish capped an emotional night at Old Trafford, with the first home game since the passing of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
Man United now have three points and are third in Group A, a point off second-placed Galatasaray. Copenhagen are bottom on one point and Bayern Munich are top with three wins from three.
Arsenal, Sevilla
Meanwhile, Arsenal were dealt a new injury concern when Gabriel Jesus was forced off late on in their 2-1 win against Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Brazilian striker was forced off after 81 minutes with a hamstring problem and was replaced by Eddie Nketiah.
Jesus was the decisive star for the Gunners as they secured a victory in Spain. The attacker set up Gabriel Martinelli for a fine goal to give his side the lead and then sent the ball curling into the net to double their advantage early in the second half.
The injury to the 26-year-old will be a concern for coach Mikel Arteta. The Gunners were dealt a blow before the game when Thomas Partey was ruled out of the match with a muscle injury.
The north London side still have defender Jurrien Timber out of action, while William Saliba and Bukayo Saka were struggling with injuries during the recent international break but are fit again now.
